7 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

7 - Coursework Example Daniel Rendelman claims that  «we can reason excuses for Bible believers to celebrate Halloween but the argument does no good†. (Rendelman) The Church considers Halloween a satanic holiday – even the â€Å"trick and treat† tradition can be compared to the ritual of sacrifice to the dark forces. The Church also is trying to prove that Halloween causes in children anxiety, neuroses, psychical deviations, aggression, etc. D. Rendelman quotes the Bible when proving that Halloween should not be celebrated by the believers: â€Å"Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil,† 1 Thesalonians 5:21-22†. (cited from: Rendelman) Because the holiday of Halloween is of Celtic origin, and the Celts believe that the new life was born from the death and worshipped the demon Samkhain (Saman) that was the Lord of Death, the Church condemns the holiday and claims it is of evil character. It says that by wearing the costumes of the evil forces (the dead), people abide to the Satan who is the embodiment of the dark and the evil. â€Å"Halloween practices, from dressing in costumes to bobbing for apples, were once part of pagan worship. These actions are repeated today by people who are unaware or simply don’t care about their true meaning. Time may have passed but their origins and true purpose remains the same†. (Rendelman) Other traditions of Halloween, such as various prophesies, magic rituals, fortune-telling, divination and others, are also, according to the Church, of Anti-Christian nature. Celebrating Halloween, the Church claims, often results in people’s interest towards the Satanism and occultism. However, there are opinions that Halloween and the Church holiday of All Saints that is celebrated on November 1 are closely interconnected. Kenneth C. Davis in his article asks a question if Halloween is â€Å"a day of innocent merriment or a celebration of sinister forces† and claims that the proof of both positions can be found in the course of

Development and Implementation of Direct and Internet Marketing Essay

Development and Implementation of Direct and Internet Marketing Strategy in Nokia - Essay Example Similarly, many companies have embraced the use of direct marketing to lure customers into buying and remaining loyal to the company’s products. Direct marketing strategy is adopted to ensure the success of the marketing campaign. It involves companies approaching the consumers with their products and survives with the aim of meeting their goals by influencing an action through buying, ordering, requesting more information as well as visiting the company website (Roberts, 1999:18). Internet marketing strategy involves the use of internet to attract people or to give more information about the company’s products through directing them to the company website, increasing customers to the organization as well as branding the organization with its products (Clarke, 2005:172). Over the past years, Nokia has been on the leading end in the development and implementation of direct and internet marketing strategy which has promoted its growth in terms of product penetration and a cquisition of the market share. Similarly, this marketing strategy and ensured the company grows its revenue as it keeps on launching new products to counter its competitors. This research paper will outline how Nokia develops and implements direct and internet marketing strategy as it gives the achievements and limitations of this marketing strategy. ... Since its establishment, the company has been on steady growth as it operates in more than 120 nations across the world with employees above 100,000. Nokia has annual revenues of 30 billion euro which has placed it second mobile phone maker after Samsung as at 2012. The company commands the mobile phone industry with its current share marked at 23%. Despite the steady growth that the company has enjoyed over the years, its market share has not remained stable from last year due to developments and entry of smart phones by other agencies. The introduction of iPhone which runs Google android operating system has systematically contributed to the declining market share of the corporation. However, the company is working on strategy to ensure it counterattack the new agencies by partnering with Microsoft to ensure all Nokia smart phones are incorporated with Microsoft window as their operating system. Besides this, Nokia has elaborated ways of capturing certain markets as it develops pro ducts which meets the demands of certain age group of the society (Mangan, 2012). Their marketing strategy is very essential in ensuring they reap from the untapped markets both online and direct. Frameworks and Approaches to Direct and Internet Marketing Nokia has been on the forefront towards direct and internet marketing since competition in the mobile telecommunication industry is flooded with the entries of new products as well as new agencies. This has pushed the company to venture into direct marketing at ensuring they meet their target population as well as consumers towards realizing the existence of the company products and services. Nokia have embraced the use of direct marketing

Developing Strategic Management And Leadership Skills Commerce Essay

Developing Strategic Management And Leadership Skills Commerce Essay Strategic management can be defined as an art science of formulating, implementing and evaluating cross-functional decisions that enables an organization to reach its organizational or corporate goals effectively and efficiently. Leadership and Strategic Management have the most crucial linkages and it is important to note that strategy of an organization is developed through its leadership vision and organizational philosophy. Leadership and management are different approaches as management just follows orders while leaders inspire others to get the task done and generate orders and commands for management to follow. In this paper, Lincoln Electric has been selected for studying the important linkages between leadership and strategic management. The paper is divided in three main tasks. The first task provides (a) an explanation of the link between strategic management and leadership, (b) an analysis of the impact of management and leadership styles on strategic decisions and (c) an evaluation of how leadership styles can be adapted to different situations. The second task is to (a) review the impact that selected theories of management and leadership have on organizational strategy and (b) create a leadership strategy that supports organizational direction (with the perspective of Apple Inc.). The final task discusses how to (a) use appropriate methods to review current leadership requirements, (b) plan for the development of future situations requiring leadership, (c) plan the development of leadership skills for a specific requirement, and (d) report on the usefulness of methods used to plan t he development of leadership skills. In the end, conclusion is made to summarize the discussion and analysis. Task 1 Linkage between strategic management and leadership It is important to note that leadership plays the most dominant role in helping the organization to reach its goals and objectives. It is because leadership plays the key role in devising an effective and efficient strategy that enables an organization to reach its corporate goals and objectives. Leaders of the organization develop organizational philosophy or operating philosophy of an organization that how it operates. Organizational philosophy develops its culture and structure. It is interesting to note that the vision and mission are important for devising an effective strategy and this vision and mission of organization is highly dependent on organizations culture and structure. Thus, vision and mission (developed ultimately by leadership) gives rise to the strategy of an organization to reach its organizational goals and objectives i.e. to gain a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace relative to competition or to anticipate growth through mergers or acquisitions. Therefore, there is an important linkage between strategic management and leadership of an organization as leadership ultimately sets the strategic direction of an organization through the above process that is discussed above. The same linkage of strategic management and leadership is present i n the case of Lincoln electric and it will be discussed in task 2. Some of the important linkages between strategic management and leadership are: Leadership is concerned about the vision while strategic management is focused on implementation according to the vision identified by the leadership. The orientation of leadership is towards change management and anticipation of environmental changes. On the other hand, strategic management is oriented towards adaptation to change identified by the leadership and it does not take the initiatives of organizational and environmental change management. Leadership is concerned with the dynamics of a situation and it identifies and realizes that how to leverage its resources to respond to the dynamics of the situation. Moreover, it is concerned with harmonizing or changing the culture to meet the challenges of dynamic external environment. On the other hand, strategic management is concerned with the technique and it follows the orders of the leadership. Strategic Management function is to make all the stakeholders adaptable to cultural change which is identified by the leadership. Leadership is empowering while strategic management is being empowered. Actions of leadership require skills but the influence of actions of leadership is strongly on character of leaders. Strategic Management is all about skills and management actions are skill oriented rather than character oriented. It is interesting to note that leadership is concerned with positive possibilities while strategic management is concerned about negative consequences. The basic responsibility of leaders is to build and reshape the organization while strategic management is concerned about following leadership vision to assist in building and reshaping the organization. Leadership is all about taking risks because leaders understand their strengths and weaknesses and leaders tend to learn from their mistakes. While the strategic management is more concerned about avoiding risk and adopting risk response strategies. Leadership set goals while management focus mostly on goals set by their higher levels or leadership. Leadership take initiatives beyond its responsibility, support goals, provide direction and empower others. Strategic Management is more concerned about segmenting areas of responsibility and it follows leadership vision, organizational philosophy and organizational culture rather than taking initiatives. Impact of management and leadership style on strategic decisions Leadership styles and management plays an important role in the strategic decision of an organization. As discussed earlier, leadership inspires management to meet strategic objectives and therefore impact of leadership on strategic decisions is more dominant that management and leadership styles are crucial in taking strategic decisions for an organization. Different leadership styles are discussed below which are: Autocratic or authoritarian style In the autocratic or authoritarian style, decision making power is centralized to the leader and the leader holds the main decision making power. The most prominent example of authoritarian leaders is the dictatorship. It is important to note that Autocratic or authoritarian style do not consider or entertain the recommendation, consultation or suggestion from subordinates but rather they would like to implement their own authority on them. It is interesting to note that the Autocratic or authoritarian style leadership style is a useful motivational tool for a manager or leader as it motivates the leader or manager to perform. Also, the decision making process in Autocratic or authoritarian style is very quick and straightforward because only one person is decides for the whole group. Moreover, Autocratic or authoritarian style leaders keep the decision making power with them always and decide solely on their personal opinions unless or until they feel that they should share it with the rest of the group. Laissez-faire or free rein style In Laissez-faire or free rein style, the leader does not lead the group but rather it leaves the group entirely to itself. In simple words, the leader allows maximum freedom to its subordinates. For example, the subordinates are free to make their own policies and decision independently and freely. Participative or democratic style The participative or democratic leaders rely heavily on the consensus of the management and subordinates to take strategic decisions or to set strategic directions. They rely heavily on the consulting of the employees and management to devise strategies for reaching organizational goals. Team and Management of the corporation in this style of leadership is effective but it is a slow process. It is interesting to note that leaders in this case are selected by the consensus of subordinates or management unlike in authoritarian style of leadership. Impact of leadership style on management and strategic decisions Different leadership styles are effective and efficient based on different situations and contexts. For example, sometimes the organizations have to make immediate decisions where time is very little to converge on an agreement. In this case an Autocratic or authoritarian style is more effective because a designated authority who have more experience and expertise than the rest of the team could make and implement decision rapidly and quickly to respond to the given scenario. On the other side, in case of a highly motivated and aligned team with a homogenous level of expertise and experience, Laissez-faire or free rein style would be more effective and efficient. It depends on scenario and objectives that which leadership style should be chosen. Task 2 Review of selected theories of management and leadership impact on Lincoln Electric organizational strategy Vision, Mission and Value Statement Leadership is the most crucial reason for the success of an organization. Leadership enables the organization to gain a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. It is because leadership develops operating and organizational philosophy which shapes vision, mission, and organizational culture of the organization. Vision, Mission and organizational culture play the most crucial to devise and effective and efficient strategy to gain a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. Therefore, leadership is the most important element in making vision, mission and value statements and these statements reflects the leadership traits and personalities and their visions. The vision, mission and value statements can be implied from their official website which reflects the leadership and organizational philosophy of Lincoln Electric. Vision statement can be formulated as To be the global manufacturer and market leader of the highest quality welding, cutting and joining products. The Mission statement for Lincoln Electric can be stated as To endure passion for development and application market leadership and global manufacturer vision by providing complete solutions that make their customers more productive and successful. Finally, the value statement can be described as the customer value would be provided to customers by strengthening and maximizing the satisfaction of employees and customer value would generate shareholders value in return with the maximum employee motivation and satisfaction. (Lincoln Electric, 2010) Operating Philosophy or organizational philosophy It is interesting to note the company operating philosophy is highly characterized by the Christian ethics and it was leadership vision of James F. Lincoln which then became the organizational and operating philosophy of Lincoln Electric. The above implied vision, mission and value statements reflect the Christian ethics that are gained from the operating philosophy of Lincoln Electric. Highest quality products are provided to the customers by identifying customer needs and wants with a sense of empathy. The value is provided to customers in terms of product efficiency rather than price discounts and customer enjoys long term benefits and overall cost reduction in the form of less repairing, maintenance, replacement and upgrading. The organizational philosophy of Christian ethics had six core values which are: Respond to our customers needs and expectations with quality, integrity, and value, Recognize people as our most valuable asset, maintain and expand the Lincoln Incentive Manag ement Philosophy, practice prudent and responsible financial management, strive continually to be environmentally responsible, and support communities where we operate and industries in which we participate. The six values define thoroughly the operating philosophy of Lincoln Electric regarding customers, stockholders, unionism and employees. (Buller Schuler, 2006) The employees are working on a piece rate basis with a performance score which motivates the employees to work hard. If an employee is not performing well then it would hit the piece rate basis and the employee would miss the financial incentives. Job security is very high at Lincoln Electric as the employees are not punished but motivated in case of failures. The employees are not fired because of the Christian empathy operating philosophy but employees realize that if they would not perform well then they would miss their financial incentives which drives employees attitudes to work efficiently under high job security for gaining the maximum bonuses and incentives. (Buller Schuler, 2006) Lincoln Management Incentives and Bonus Plan The management incentives and bonus plan of Lincoln electric are very motivational and attractive. The Lincoln bonus plan is strategically aligned with the piece rate pay plan which was discussed in above. It is a fact that Lincoln electric management incentives and bonus plans are the amounts worth more than half of the employee normal pay or wage. Management incentives and bonuses are based on performance based reward/point system. The management incentive and bonus plans are considered as a financial motivator in Lincoln electric. Management incentives and bonuses are considered to be the share and recognition of employees for their contribution in the financial and competitive performance of the Lincoln Electric. Points are allotted according to the contribution of each employee or manager to the financial performance and management incentives and bonuses are rewarded according to the points scored by the employees. The management incentives and bonus plans are based on reinforce ment theory which states that behavior is a function of its consequences. (Robbins, 2005) Leadership strategy Strategic issues driving the success of Lincoln Electric A clear analysis of Lincoln Electric indicates that Lincoln Electric has no strategic issues as it is exploiting its core competencies and capabilities to gain a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. It is performing differently from rivals. According to Michael Porter (1996), Strategic Positioning and operational effectiveness are two entirely different approaches and concepts. Operational Effectiveness is necessary for a business success but not sufficient for it. An organization has to develop a strong strategic positioning to be globally competitive and to gain a sustainable competitive advantage which is not imitable by competition. Strategic Positioning is an entirely different approach and it is performing different activities from competitors or performing similar activities in different ways. On the other hand, operational effectiveness is just performing similar activities from rivals in a better but not different way. Therefore, the competitive advantage ga ined from operational effectiveness is easily imitable because the competitors may also adopt the same or better practices to come up with the same or a better advantage. But, in case of strategic positioning, competitors could not imitate because the corporation adopting strategic positioning is entirely different from rivals and a competitor has to copy the whole activity systems to imitate that competitive advantage which is almost impossible because the own strategic positioning of that particular competitor would be lost after doing this. Japanese companies were well known for best-practices and Total Quality Management. Their global competitiveness was based on operational effectiveness in the 1970s and 1980s. In the race of operational effectiveness, the Japanese companies could not develop strategic positioning and fell under the trap of competitive convergence. The focus of Japanese corporations was to imitate competitors and just to perform better. Japanese enjoyed success because the world economies were growing. But when the markets became saturated; the Japanese firms were stuck in their own traps and finally rubbed out of markets. (Porter, What is Strategy, 1996) Lincoln Electric has developed a strategic positioning rather than operational effectiveness. The most crucial reason for Lincoln Electrics survival is its strong human resource management in the most union obsessed part of US. Lincoln Electric activity systems supported each other to have a sustainable competitive edge. The focus of Lincoln Electric was to develop a strategic position while the rivals were more concerned about operational effectiveness which was necessary but not sufficient. Task 3 Current leadership requirements It is important to note that organizations devise efficient business level and corporate strategies to gain a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace relative to competition. The leadership plays the most dominant role in devising strategies for corporation to sustain a competitive advantage. Leadership develops organizational philosophy and organizational philosophy gives rise to vision and mission for the organization. The strategic objectives of an organization are set on the basis of its visions and missions. Therefore, understanding and knowledge of leadership philosophy and its implications is the most effective skill for efficient leadership. The individuals working in the Lincoln Electric must have knowledge of organizational philosophy and its culture and personal goals of individuals must be aligned with the organizational philosophy for effective leadership. Personal skills of the individuals must be compatible with the organizational philosophy to develop leadership in them. The personal skills which are required for efficient leadership are: Self awareness Proactive Ability to frame and reframe events Ability to integrate the perspectives of others Self-Motivation (Ambler, 2006) All the above personal skills of individuals must be compatible with the professional skill of understanding of organizational philosophy to reach organizational strategic goals. Development of future situation for requiring leadership As we have already discussed that every organization makes efficient business level and corporate strategies to gain a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace relative to competition. The leadership plays the most dominant role in devising strategies for corporation to sustain a competitive advantage. Leadership develops organizational philosophy and organizational philosophy gives rise to vision and mission for the organization. The strategic objectives of an organization are set on the basis of its visions and missions. Professionally, understanding of organizational philosophy, aligns the personal goals of an individual with organizational goals and the person realizes that, to be successful, he must reach organizational strategic goals for reaching his own personal goals because an incentive or compensation and motivation is added with this understanding of organizational philosophy. Therefore, motivation (career development, personal goals) and compensation (rewards, promotions) provide means for both kinds of goals or objective accomplishment. Personally, having interpersonal skills and capabilities, creates awareness among the individuals that corporate culture and philosophy is important for the success of the individuals and organization. The development of self-motivation with the above concept develops a driving force that guides the individual to meet their personal goals by moving on the way of reaching strategic goals of the organization. Leadership skills for a specific situation For example, the changing market trends motivate the Lincoln Electric to devise more environment and user friendly tools for its customers. In this case, organization must devise activity systems and strategy according to its leadership philosophy and operating philosophy because it is the core competency of the organization. It must seek ways for harmonizing personal goals of individuals with the leadership goals by compensating them effectively. Leadership must be developed by teaching individuals organizational philosophy which comes from leadership. Methodology The Lincoln Electric must design a one year management trainee program in which individuals must be trained both professional and personally for strategic goals achievement. There should be four modules. The first module must include the professional literature such as competitive strategy by Michael porter, different academic articles related to strategy and leadership, complete description of organizational and leadership philosophy to develop personal skills for strategic goals achievement. The second module must involve motivational approaches and methodology for defining ways to harmonize personal with professional goals, compensation and benefits as incentives to integrate personal goals with professional goals and an overview of organization. The third module must include rotation of individuals among the different departments and capacities and final module must require the individuals to manage some pilot projects to reach organizational strategic goals. It is important that organizational and leadership philosophy must be reinforced in each and every module by the trainers. The last two modules are designed to increase involvement of individuals at the different strategic levels. The training must conducted and supervised by the true leaders of the organization. Conclusion In this paper, important linkages between strategic management and leadership of an organization were studied and analyzed. The first introduced the links between strategic management and leadership. The second part applied management and leadership philosophies to study the Lincoln Electric which is one of the successful organizations of the world. The last part recommended some strategies to develop and boost leadership across the organization. It can be concluded that leadership plays the key role in the strategic management and success of an organization. 3225 Words

The Power of the Photograph :: Personal Narrative

The Power of the Photograph On the wall of my dorm room hangs a photograph that was taken at my paternal grandmother’s house. I’m on Grandma’s lap, and my sister is on the floor. I appear to be about two or three years old. It is after supper, and Grandma is reading to me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This photograph is interesting to me because it reflects two points that Michelle Citron makes in her book, Home Movies. First, the person taking the picture is asserting control over the interpretation of the memory. Second, there are clues within the frame that signify what has actually been left out of the frame. The item missing from this picture is my mother.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My father took the picture in order to show me wearing the moccasins my maternal grandfather had just bought for me when we visited him. My mother had remained there, while we went on to visit grandmother. She rarely came with us to visit Grandma because they did not get along. Like her own mother, my mother could be moody, distant, and bad-tempered. Grandma, on the other hand, was somewhat meddlesome, but affectionate, and over-indulgent with us kids. Consequently, they argued over how we should be treated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Grandma is pointing to the moccasins, which signify my mother’s absence. In some ways, the photo is a conciliatory gesture; my father is acknowledging his in-laws’ contribution to my happiness and well being. In another, less obvious way, it is an act of spite. Since my mother refused to be there, my father replaced her with his own mother in this happy family scene he has created.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Her absence is also highlighted by the presence of my sister, Rhonda, who was about nine or ten. When I was a baby, Rhonda and I were always in pictures together. Usually she’s playing â€Å"mommy† and holding me on her lap. She was very protective of me and would not let me out of her sight. Taking the role of my guardian often got her in trouble, especially when my mother’s temper flared. Here, she looks silly and relaxed, more childlike than she does in other family pictures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Citron argues that since they are selective and often taken by men, home movies and family photographs assert a balance of power within the family and strive to promote the â€Å"good† memory of family: â€Å"parents in control, men in charge, families together† (15).

Literary Context Essay

1. What happens if you carefully consider the surrounding context of a passage, but ignore its literary genre? When you are reading the Bible, understanding and interpreting the true meaning is one of the most crucial things we must do. In the text, Hays and Duvall say that â€Å"we would go so far as to say that the most important principle of biblical interpretation is that context determines meaning.† If we make the mistake of ignoring the context, it often leads to misinterpretation and confusion of what the scriptures are really trying to say. It is important to know the historical-cultural context as well as the literary context in order to properly understand what is being said. 2. Besides those examples cited in this chapter, what are some instances of interpreting a biblical passage apart from its immediate context? I think it is always important to really understand what you are reading in the Bible; because sometimes when we are reading the Bible, in hopes of finding an answer to a question, it could be easy to twist the text to make it fit your situation. I think a lot of times this happens in very unfortunate ways, like when people are trying to use the word against one another. I have personally seen people use Bible verses against a person or a group of people to bring them down, or to make themselves seem superior to another group of people. I do not believe the Bible should be used to harm one another, or to persecute people. One of my favorite quotes from Hays & Duvall is â€Å"misreading the Bible ultimately hurts people by enslaving them, rather than setting them free with truth.† 3. When is topical preaching contextually valid? When does it disregard and violate context? Topical preaching can be vaild when the various passages are understood in context and the overall message doesn’t violate those individual contexts (Duvall & Hays, 2008). However, often topical preaching distorts the meaning of Scripture because it disregards the literary context. Topical preaching often disregards and violates context because it jumps from one passage to another, when this happens unrelated thoughts are strung together. It is like picking thoughts at random in order to shape your own conclusion, this is a violation of the context. References: Duvall, J., & Hays, J. (2008). Journey into God’s Word. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Immanuel Kant by Nathalie G. Catalogo Essay

German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is considered the most influential thinker of the Enlightenment era and one of the greatest Western philosophers of all times. His works, especially those on epistemology (theory of knowledge), aesthetics and ethics had a profound influence on later philosophers, including contemporary ones. Kant’s philosophy is often described as the golden middle between rationalism and empiricism. He didn’t accept either of both views but he gave credit to both. While rationalists argue that knowledge is a product of reason, empiricists claim that all knowledge comes from experience. Kant rejected yet adopted both, arguing that experience is purely subjective if not first processed by pure reason. Using reason while excluding experience would according to Kant produce theoretical illusion. Afterwards, Kant mainly focused on philosophical issues although he continued to write on science. Source: http://www. philosophers. co. uk/immanuel-kant. html Based on what I’ve read from the philosophy of Immanuel Kant which oftenly described as the golden middle between rationalism and empiricism, I strongly agree with the statements â€Å"experience is purely subjective if not first processed by pure reason† and â€Å"using reason while excluding experience would produce theoretical illusion. † Obviously, both statements complement each other. You will notice that experience needs reason for it not to be subjective and reason on the other hand, needs experience for it not to produce theoretical illusion. Empiricists claim that experience is equal to knowledge while rationalists argue that it is reason which is equal to knowledge. For example, for the empiricists, you have this experience that enrolling at University of Makati (UMak) needs patience and panctuality for there’s so many enrollees which causes a very long line so the process will take so much of your time. Through that experience, you gain knowledge so the next time you enroll, you already know how to handle things better. On the other hand, an example of rationalism is that, if someone teach you that one plus one is equal to two (1 + 1 = 2), you gain knowledge from the reason of mathematics. My assumption for the reason behind why Immanuel Kant adopted both of these is that it is closely related with each other and it needs each other to stand for its essence.